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Well might as well start this with the end of the World Series and predictably the Mets announce they're picking up the Cabrera and Blevins options. In other news Dave Eiland is the pitching coach and some assistant hitting coach (Rassler?) is being promoted to main hitting coach.

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Happy to see both Cabrera and Blevins back. I believe Blevins may have been the only one the injury grim reaper didn't touch this year. Cabrera I was certain would be a goner last year actually shut up, put his head down, played good ball and rescinded his trade request. He's got his warts but he wants to win and badly. You can definitely see that

Callaway, who seems to want to be the players' pal more than anything else, basically said that we shouldn't expect Matt Harvey to turn back into the Dark Knight. I agree, fine with that. But he then added that Harvey shouldn't be afraid to fail. The more I hear Callaway speak, the more I think that this has the makings of Art Howe Part Deux written all over it. The Mets are SCREAMING for someone to start holding the players accountable, and this guy seems like he's going to be a players' manager to a ridiculous fault.

Anyway, here's some of Sandy's big plans, from what I've read:

Juan Lagares is going to figure heavily into 2018 (of course...we can't ever move on from ANYONE). Of course he's already said that d'Arnaud and Plaw will likely be the Mets' catching tandem in 2018.

Mets are considering bringing Jose Reyes and/or Neil Walker back.

Is there ANYONE that doesn't yet think that this offseason is going to be a complete disaster?

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Yeah I do worry Callaway is going to be Tito without portfolio or the vet leadership he had in Boston.

The most interesting thing so far is the apparent lukewarmness they have for Dom Smith. Sandy basically indicated he needs to get in shape or else, and they're kicking the tires on Carlos Santana as it is.

I think Dom Smith is one guy that could actually use the tough love...he showed up to camp in very good shape, then completely let himself go, and I think that's really got some of the Met brass who thought Smith had grown up pretty pissed off...and maybe it's just the fact that he looks like he's high all of the time, but he seems like a bit of a doofus that needs to be given extra attention. The Mets seem to pick players completely by random that they actually dare to hold accountable...guess Smith came up on the wheel this time.

Yeah I do worry Callaway is going to be Tito without portfolio or the vet leadership he had in Boston.

The most interesting thing so far is the apparent lukewarmness they have for Dom Smith. Sandy basically indicated he needs to get in shape or else, and they're kicking the tires on Carlos Santana as it is.

My nickname for Callaway is Honorable Mention. This guy is going to be looking for silver linings in EVERYTHING.

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You can make excuses for a chubby guy if he mashes with impunity. Dom Smith won't be that guy. He needs to have at worst, average mobility.

Plus it impacts everything. If you're out of shape your stamina will suffer, more prone to injuries etc

I'm encouraged by their lukewarmness for Dom Smith. To me it signals that they're starting to understand how baseball in 2017 and beyond works.

Bringing Walker back works for me. I want no part of Reyes. He was a floundering player on a bad team last year. His stats actually give the impression of a performance better than what we saw on the field.

All I know is Callaway better be able to kick this team in the pants behind the scenes when it needs it. And it will need it. I don't care how nice a guy he appears otherwise

The more you read, the more it seems like the Mets are VERY down on Dom Smith. I get that he didn't take the league by storm when he came up, but there were some positive signs in his 49-game sample (like some decent power numbers)...just seems kind of funny that some guys (like Travis fvcking d'Arnaud) just seem to get a million friggin' chances around here, but now Smith apparently might be one and done. I say at least give the guy a full season...let's see if he can come to camp in good shape again, and get a full season under his belt to see if 1) he can avoid last year's weight gain, and 2) show improvement from last season. If he fails on either of those two fronts, then I get cuttin

Agree '7'...if Reyes is back, then it's even clearer to me that Sandy needs to GTFO...even if it's ultimately Jeffy that wants Reyes back, I don't need a fvcking puppet GM (who's not really a terribly good GM to begin with...not as good as HE seems to think that he is) who doesn't have the stones to tell his bosses that Reyes sucks and shouldn't really fit into this team's plans. I guess we're supposed to be excited that Reyes put up a .952 OPS over the last 6 weeks of 2017, in what amounted to pure garbage time? Where the fvck was he went the season was still breathing? Oh yeah, doing absolutely NOTHING, but getting every opportunity to keep playing, because that's how this stupid franchise rolls. Enough with the same ol same ol Sandy. Show some fvcking energy and creativity, for once.

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So here's a quick rundown of the offseason so far: Callaway, who seems to want to be the players' pal more than anything else, basically said that we shouldn't expect Matt Harvey to turn back into the Dark Knight. I agree, fine with that. But he then added that Harvey shouldn't be afraid to fail. The more I hear Callaway speak, the more I think that this has the makings of Art Howe Part Deux written all over it. The Mets are SCREAMING for someone to start holding the players accountable, and this guy seems like he's going to be a players' manager to a ridiculous fault. Anyway, here's some of Sandy's big plans, from what I've read: Juan Lagares is going to figure heavily into 2018 (of course...we can't ever move on from ANYONE). Of course he's already said that d'Arnaud and Plaw will likely be the Mets' catching tandem in 2018. Mets are considering bringing Jose Reyes and/or Neil Walker back. Is there ANYONE that doesn't yet think that this offseason is going to be a complete disaster?

He's scaring the sh&#33;t out of me Dog. He sounds like a fanboy who's just happy to get to hang out with ballplayers. It's only fair to give the guy a chance, I can't dispute that (and it's not like we have any other choice), but he just seems like 100% the wrong guy based on what I've heard him say so far. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

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Sandy wanted better 'communication' with the players after all the nonsense about how Terry didn't get along with anyone once the vets left last year. Hopefully he'll at least be able to help keep the pitchers healthy and max out, god knows this team has enough potential issues even without worrying about the manager being too lenient.

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He's scaring the sh!t out of me Dog. He sounds like a fanboy who's just happy to get to hang out with ballplayers. It's only fair to give the guy a chance, I can't dispute that (and it's not like we have any other choice), but he just seems like 100% the wrong guy based on what I've heard him say so far. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

I hope for your and all Met fans' sake the guy is just overly optimistic/happy. But the 'don't be afraid to fail' sh&#33;t is right out of Cam Cameron's 'Fail Forward Fast' playbook... Believe me- that ain't a playbook anyone should ever be using.

I hope for your and all Met fans' sake the guy is just overly optimistic/happy. But the 'don't be afraid to fail' sh&#33;t is right out of Cam Cameron's 'Fail Forward Fast' playbook... Believe me- that ain't a playbook anyone should ever be using.

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With you 100% Dog, that's a really scary tactic to take...especially when you've got fat cats like Cespedes in the lockerroom. Clubhouse hasn't had any accountability since Wright's been M.I.A., and I was hoping that some form of it might be coming from the new manager, because the GM sure can't be bothered...but Callaway almost sounds fvcking star-struck.

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With you 100% Dog, that's a really scary tactic to take...especially when you've got fat cats like Cespedes in the lockerroom. Clubhouse hasn't had any accountability since Wright's been M.I.A., and I was hoping that some form of it might be coming from the new manager, because the GM sure can't be bothered...but Callaway almost sounds fvcking star-struck.

A guy like Cespedes will walk all over a guy like Callaway if he allows it. I almost think the Mets should've just made Wright the manager (I mean, can he just end the charade already? We know he's never gonna be an everyday player ever again). They're paying him anyway, I could've seen Tweedle-Dee Wilpon and Tweedle-Dum Wilpon being like 'hey, may as well put him to work since we're paying him all this money'. He'd command more respect than it appears Callaway will at this point.

Yeah, unfortunately when you go in with a "we're all gonna be buddies" approach, and you don't have any resume as a manager, it usually doesn't work when you later try to become more of a hard-line guy (out of necessity) with the same core of players...the players just don't take you seriously. Unfortunately I think Callaway is going to make a ton of mistakes and learn from them...but it's his next team that will benefit from his evolution. I think maybe 4-6 years from now, we'll hear some quotes along the lines of "I know I had a hard time with the Mets and I definitely made some mistakes, but I feel like I learned a lot from the experience, and I'm better for having gone through it." Great for him, not so great for the Mets.

I wouldn't rule out Wright as a manager someday, but I think he definitely needs to pay his dues first.

Syndergaard quoted as saying that, prior to this season, that as far as off-season workouts go, Mets' pitchers just kind of "winged it" (now apparently there's finally something in place that's more structured).

Oh well, this is what happens when you have a half-asleep can't-be-bothered GM running the show. At least more and more people are catching on to how little Mr. Self-Satisfied has actually done since coming here, much as he'd love to take sole credit for the Mets' 2015 WS appearance. People are starting to notice how little his drafts have produced.

Boomer and Jerry ripping the Mets a little for not really pursuing Dee Gordon (who was just traded to Seattle for 3 prospects), but I'm not sure if I'd want Gordon either...he did hit .308 last season, but he's a pure singles hitter who also doesn't walk a whole lot...yeah, he steals a sh&#33;tload of bases which isn't reflected in his SLG%, but he put up an OPS of just 94 (100 is average), and his OPS the season before was just 77...he really needs to have 2015-type numbers to excite. I wouldn't necessarily be upset with the Mets if they had brought him in...just not crushed that they didn't.

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Syndergaard quoted as saying that, prior to this season, that as far as off-season workouts go, Mets' pitchers just kind of "winged it" (now apparently there's finally something in place that's more structured).

Oh well, this is what happens when you have a half-asleep can't-be-bothered GM running the show. At least more and more people are catching on to how little Mr. Self-Satisfied has actually done since coming here, much as he'd love to take sole credit for the Mets' 2015 WS appearance. People are starting to notice how little his drafts have produced.

Boomer and Jerry ripping the Mets a little for not really pursuing Dee Gordon (who was just traded to Seattle for 3 prospects), but I'm not sure if I'd want Gordon either...he did hit .308 last season, but he's a pure singles hitter who also doesn't walk a whole lot...yeah, he steals a sh&#33;tload of bases which isn't reflected in his SLG%, but he put up an OPS of just 94 (100 is average), and his OPS the season before was just 77...he really needs to have 2015-type numbers to excite. I wouldn't necessarily be upset with the Mets if they had brought him in...just not crushed that they didn't.

There was no set plan in place. Syndergaard decided to put on 20lbs of muscle last off-season for the hell of it and promptly got hurt. That's not effective training to pitch and the Mets should've never allowed that. Amazing how there was likely little to no communication between the team and one of its cornerstones

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And now just to annoy us further Stanton's rejecting trades to every team but the Yankees and Dodgers and now Cashman (who's a vulture - and I say that affectionately) is gonna swoop in and steal him for nothing. While we'll sign some schlep like Joaquin Benoit. Life as a Mets fan

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Can't really blame the Yankees. Of course you do this if you're them. If you're Stanton, why wouldn't you try and muscle your way onto the Yankees? And it's not like the Marlins didn't try to unload him on the Giants or Cardinals. They did. He said no. He basically winnowed it down to LA or NY and LA couldn't ante up. On the field this actually helps us because the Marlins will be a dumpster fire again and Stanton isn't with another NL team. On the back pages this absolutely decimates us. Don't want to hear anymore of the "Take Back New York" from the 7 Line crowd again. The Yankees just showed you how it's done.

When you want to win and badly this is what you do. However shady this may have seemed and how criminal this was to Marlins fans, no rules were broken.

And now just to annoy us further Stanton's rejecting trades to every team but the Yankees and Dodgers and now Cashman (who's a vulture - and I say that affectionately) is gonna swoop in and steal him for nothing. While we'll sign some schlep like Joaquin Benoit. Life as a Mets fan

It's funny...on one hand, I can't get on the Mets about this at all, because it's not like Stanton ever had the Mets on his short list of teams. He also had pretty much all of the leverage, re: where he was going. And the Yankees will always have a sex appeal rivaled only by the Dodgers...there's other teams that are obviously considered good destinations, but the Yankees are just a whole different beast.

And part of what makes the Yankees that whole different beast is that when presented with an opportunity like this, they will almost always find a way to get it done...to the point where their fans are impossible to take, because they think they're entitled to whatever they want, whenever they want it...the ones calling into the WFAN about the Japanese pitcher/hitter who just signed with the Angels and basically taking a "How dare he not choose the Yankees!" view were ridiculous. But they're so used to the Yankees doing everything in their power to improve their product that I get what they act that way.

And what makes the Mets the Mets is that, had Stanton actually wanted to come HERE, the franchise would find a way to botch it completely, and then we'd get nothing but a litany of excuses as to why it couldn't happen. The Mets are just forever thinking small, and more and more it's just getting to be harder and harder to take. What's so blatantly and painfully obvious is that one team is ALWAYS going to be trying...the other one is content to do little more than exist. Like you and I have said...Sandy is going to do next to NOTHING this offseason. And I'm fvcking tired of the lack of energy, urgency, and excitement around the Mets. Sick of it all. And defeated, because as long as the fvcking POS Wilpons own the franchise, it will NEVER. EVER. CHANGE.